In-form Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale once again got himself on the scoresheet this weekend in a 5-1 drubbing of Sporting Gijon, taking his tally for the season to 13 goals in 15 La Liga games. The Welsh international headed home at the near post to open the scoring against Gijon, and even set up a brilliant Karim Benzema goal, but unfortunately came off with a muscle injury which could now see him out of action for a number of weeks.
Can’t stop scoring when fit
Injuries have been the one negative to his season, with the 26-year-old having endured two separate calf injuries earlier on in the campaign. So much time spent on the sidelines meant game time was limited for the first three months, but Bale has been making up for his absence ever since. The former Tottenham Hotspur man has been at his most prolific since November, scoring in six of his last eight league appearances.
His four goals scored against Rayo Vallecano and his hat-trick versus Deportivo La Coruna will live long in the memory, but Bale is showcasing a real creative threat as well as chipping in with goals. Only Neymar for Barcelona has made more assists than the Welshman in the league this season, and it appears new Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is getting the best from his attacking players.
Creating goals as well as scoring them
Bale shone under predecessor Rafael Benitez, but has really relished such an aggressively attacking style under his replacement. The creative freedom to take on his opponent and affect the game in the final third are two areas that the world’s most expensive player has flourished in. His distribution has been questioned in the past, but with the 26-year-old currently in the top-4 for most chances created per game on average, it’s clear just how important he is to the Real Madrid team.
Having scored and assisted more than 90 goals in over 100 games for Real Madrid, Gareth Bale is certainly paying off his large transfer fee, and he appears to be in the best form of his career of late too. Bale is 20/1 to be the La Liga top scorer this season, but his form should be worrying the players atop of the scoring charts. He’s giving defences a torrid time with his willing running, and has been delivering in nearly every game played in the previous two months.
In his last 10 appearances in all competitions, Bale has either scored or created a goal in eight of them. How far can he go with Real?
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